Vaughn Heppner has created one of his best, most enduring characters in Lod, the Seraph, the one whose inner light burns so bright it resists the taint of evil. "Lod the Galley Slave" is Heppner's latest in the Lost Civilizations series but is actually a step back, filling in the blanks to a character who had simply been mentioned in earlier novels. It reminds me a bit of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby coming up with a back story for heroes they brought along in the early runs of Marvel's Silver Age of comic books. Like the Silver Surfer. Not that Lod has anything to do with the cosmic being. However, he's got the single-purpose zeal of one who does not let anything deter him from his ultimate goal. And that's the destruction of those who perpetrate evil and foul the freedoms of others. Lod is the knife of Elohim, the supreme being, the good, the generous. He does what he must. Lod has the power of the devine. The Galley Slave chronicles Lod's time chained below decks, continuing to live while others die of the awful conditions. His determination makes him a legend. His strength is inhuman. He suffers like Job. Yet his faith remains strong. Lod as a character ranks right up there with Conan. He's larger than life, and adventure follows his every step. I loved this series of tales.